Means for automatically illuminating dial telephones



July 21. 1931. L. 0| MATTEO I 1,815,550

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY I'LLUMINATING DIAL TELEPHONES Filed Jan. 9, 1931 IINVENTOR. L ouz's DiMzfle0 BY A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 21, 1931 UNITED STATES LoUIs DI MATTEO, or Bait Gasser, teammate Application filed January 9, i931. scan-ire. 567;612.

My invention relates to means for attaching an electric lamp to a telephone, and means for automatically lighting said lamp by a lifting movement of the telephone, and whereby the numbers of a dial telephone may be readily seen and read, and whereby the dialing operation may be more promptly and eiiiciently performed.

An object of the invention is to provide means for the above purposes which may be applied to commercial types of telephones now in use, without tapping the wires to which theyare connected or otherwise interfering with the standard structure of these instruments.

The invention more specifically includes a base member or stand including an electric switch, upon which the telephone is to be normally positioned, a wire connection therefrom to an electric plug adapted to be inserted in a wall socket, a wire connection from the plug and switch to a lamp socket, and a bracket for attachment to the telephone stand to receive and support the socket and the lamp positioned therein. The device is simple in construction and cheap to manufacture and may readily be attached to an electric socket and positioned in a way to support the telephone so that the circuit connected with the lamp attached to the phone will be normally closed and automatically opened by the removal of the phone.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and to these ends the invention consists of a device for carrying out the above objects embodying the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts having the general mode of operation, substantially as hereinafter fully described and claimed in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of a telephone provided with my improved automatic lighting means;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the automatic lighting means disconnected from a telephone;

Fig. 3 shows a top plan view of the bracket used for attaching the lamp to the telephone stand; and

Fig. 4: shows a vertical section of the switch means "employed in the base.

Referring in detail to the "characters of reference marked upon the drawings, 10 in 'dicates a telephone stand, 11 the transmitter, 12 the hook, 13 the receiver, 14 the dial, and 15 the wire. connected to the receiver, all of which may be of the usual construction.

16 rep-resents a base or support upon which the telephone stand is to be normally posi- G tione'd. This base may be formed of wood, porcelain, metal, or other suitable material, and provided with suitable feet upon which it andthe phone is supported when positioned upon a desk, table or the like. 6 A suitable hole 18 is provided in this base to receive a push button 19 around the stem 20 of which a spring 21 is positioned within the shell in a way to normally hold the push button in extended position. This shell and 7 push button are retained in position by a plate 22 that is secured in a suitable recess of the base by means of screws 23 and 24 which also serve as binding posts for the electric wires 25 and 26.

A contact spring 27 is electrically connected to a sleeve 28 and insulated from the plate 22 by a suitable insulation 29, through which the screw 24 is positioned and serves to engage the metal head upon the stem 80 20, there being an insulated Washer 31 positioned beneath said head so that when the button 19 is shoved in, the head 20 will be carried away from the contact point of the spring as indicated by dotted lines, and the spring free to engage the insulated washer so that the circuit, which is normally open, is closed. This operation of button and switch is effected by the position of the phone stand on the base 16, as will be apparent from Figs. 1, 2 and 4:.

32 indicates a wall socket which may be located in any convenient place to receive the plug 83 that carries a pair of wires 25 and 3 1, one to the binding post 23 and the other to the lamp socket 35. The other end of the wire 26 is connected to the binding post 24 and also connected with the lamp plug 33 so that the same may be lighted automatically by the operation of the push button 19 when the telephone stand is lifted for use.

36 represents a bracket, one end portion 37 of which is designed to be attached and clamped to the post of the telephone by a screw 38, While the other end portion 39 may similarly serve to engage the lamp socket in a way to support it in position on the stand closely adjacent to and above the dial so that the light therefrom will be properly reflected upon the dial in a manner to make the reading of the numbers thereon possible.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In an automatic lighting means for dial telephones, the combination with a dial telephone, of a stand including an electric switch having a normally projected push button to be engaged by a telephone when positioned thereon, a plug and socket, and wire connecting the socket and switch, a lamp bracket for detachable connection to the telephone, a lamp socket adapted to be supported in the bracket, and an electric wire connecting the lamp socket, switch and plug.

Signed at Bridgeport in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, this 8th day of January, A. D. 1931.

LOUIS DI MATTEO. 

